buffoni88
Well-Known Member
I'm enjoying reading each and every story, just so you all know!
How/when did you learn what you know??
- Thread starter buffoni88
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Started at an early age and around 8 or so I rebuilt the motor with my father for my uncles 72 Celica GT. Just kinda took off from there. Now I do what ever I need by my self. There is nothing anyone cannot do. Just study the manuals and you can get it! It's what was instilled in me at a very early age and I still live that everyday into my 40's. (I'm just smarter about it now lol)
magnumdart
There is a bad moon on the rise.
It all started with my pedal car...
breakstuff
Well-Known Member
On the way home from the hospital the trans went out on our family station wagon. I rebuilt it on the side of the road using a rusty pair of pliers, chewing gum, a bent paper clip and the leftover formula in my bottle. Not bad for a 2 day old
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xe1a1wHxTyo"]Monty Python - Four Yorkshiremen - YouTube[/ame]
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xe1a1wHxTyo"]Monty Python - Four Yorkshiremen - YouTube[/ame]
I grew up on a farm in SW Iowa in the least populated county in the entire state. When something broke, there wasn't always time to hop in the truck and head to town to buy parts, so you learned to fix/repair what you already had. My Dad also had a construction business that built steel grain bins and poured concrete slabs, so I picked up a lot of mechanical/construction/electrical and welding skills by the time I was about 13-14 years old.
I never had time for any hi-po cars till I was about 17 when I bought my first '70 GTX....I was always tinkering with pick-ups, grain trucks, and tractors/combines...because we had to.
I never had time for any hi-po cars till I was about 17 when I bought my first '70 GTX....I was always tinkering with pick-ups, grain trucks, and tractors/combines...because we had to.
My brother and I started out taking our many junk bikes apart and swapping parts back and forth, basically trying to keep one running. We always had a "spare" bike or 2 also, andwould work on them much the same way we work on hobby cars today!!
We moved up the ladder in high school in small engine class, and of course we were instantly initiated into mowing the lawn with our newfound knowledge of small engines!!
Cars were obviously next, and since our grandfather was a Kendall Oil rep, we went to all sorts of events like drag races, circle track, tractor pulls, anywhere a racing oil rep would set up his booth! Of course the Hemi was the big bad motor, and our grandpa was good friends with big Kendall racers like Don Garlits and Chris Karamacines so fast Mopars just were a natural!!
My brother and I still do Mopars to this day, some 40 years later!! Oh, I still have to mow the lawn, AND fix the lawn mower. Good thing my bear trap mind was retaining something from back then, despite my efforts otherwise!!
That's my story!!... Geof
We moved up the ladder in high school in small engine class, and of course we were instantly initiated into mowing the lawn with our newfound knowledge of small engines!!
Cars were obviously next, and since our grandfather was a Kendall Oil rep, we went to all sorts of events like drag races, circle track, tractor pulls, anywhere a racing oil rep would set up his booth! Of course the Hemi was the big bad motor, and our grandpa was good friends with big Kendall racers like Don Garlits and Chris Karamacines so fast Mopars just were a natural!!
My brother and I still do Mopars to this day, some 40 years later!! Oh, I still have to mow the lawn, AND fix the lawn mower. Good thing my bear trap mind was retaining something from back then, despite my efforts otherwise!!
That's my story!!... Geof
airgrabber
Well-Known Member
During the Summer break, Dad would take us to work with him at the garage he worked at. Couldn't do that today but 40 odd years ago he got away with it. Grease just got under our nails at an early age and never left. Worked on our bikes, moved up to lawn mowers at about age 13, then a neighbor rebuilding his 327 Chevies in his front yard, then my first car, a slant 6 Cuda, and from there it just snowballed.
rayer:
67Dart273
Well-Known Member
I don't know anything. I haven't learned anything. Everytime I touch something it turns to crap. If I had the money I'd never touch a wrench. I don't like working on this crap and I hate driving. If I had the money I'd hire two blondes or two redheads, preferably twins, to drive me around. In fact the only reason I hate electric cars are because it sounds more macho and batteries are heavy.
I was the middle child of 5, but the oldest of the 3 sons. When I was little, I always seemed to get something mechanical for Christmas. Before my dad died a few years ago, he told me he bought my Marx train set from Sears on layaway and made payments every week. Later I had a sweet Erector set, Chemistry set, and Aurora HO slot cars. (still have all that)
Then at about 13-14, my 2 buddies and I built a go cart one summer using an old Briggs lawn mower engine and frame made out of 2x4's. For some reason I was the test driver once we got it going. The steering was a 2x4 across the front with a center pivot and the wheels were then attached to round steel bar attached to the "axle". There was room between the frame and wheels for my feet to fit and it steeed by pushing on either side of the "axle". First trip down the street I made a u-turn and promptly crashed into the back of a Cadillac parked on the street. The wooden seat back broke and I woke up looking at the bottom of the tire that was visible from the bottom of the Continental kit. (I think I was knocked out for a couple seconds)
We rebuilt the cart using pipe and fittings that were screwed together. For no good reason at all, we took the Briggs apart and put it back together. There was a wooden box of 1/2" pipe fittings in my garage that we used to build a crazy exhaust system that zigged and zagged then pointed out the back w/o a muffler. We rode our bikes to the hardware store and used paper route money to buy hard rubber wheels, round bar, pillow blocks, etc. We had a chain drive off the engine to a bicycle front sprocket bolted with spacers to one of the rear wheels. The sprocket on the engine was too wide for the bicycle chain so I turned it down one morning by holding a file against the sprocket with the engine running to narrow it down. My dad just had to wonder why that file was completely smooth with no teeth left on it. No clutch or brakes, strictly push start with a string attached to that kill lever to short out the spark plug. That cart was a lot better than the first. We bent up steering knuckles out of bar stock and actually put a cut-down bike handlebar on top of the steering column, the real deal. No kid on a bike could keep up with it. One summer night we taped a flash light to the front and of course when someone called the cops, I was the one who got pulled over by a cop car on the street. "Show me your license." "I don't have one" You know this is a motor vehicle and you can't operate it without a license" Blah, blah, blah. After that we pushed it up to the schoolyard and drove it there. Every year we would take our bicycles apart and completely clean and oil them.
My dad always had Mopars. mostly Plymouths. His favorite car of all time was a 40 Plymouth, like Mickey Rooney's he would say. I came home from the hospital in a Mopar. My dad would tune his cars, but not do any heavier mechanical work. I just did everything as soon as I had my first. Over the years I occasionally worked on other people's cars on the side and came to appreciate the Chrysler way of doing things. They never seemed to take the cheap way out, better parts, better geometry, better engineering. I've also bought and read a bunch of historical books on Chrysler and learned that's the way it's been since way back when. The 3 Musketeers, W.P. Chrysler, Ramchargers, etc. Always doing more with less resources.
My first car was a used 67 FB cuda, red outside, white bucket interior with maroon trim, 273 Commando, 4 speed, 3.23 SG 8-3/4, NOT a Formula S. I found out later, my cuda had been in an accident with damage to the left quarter. It developed an axle leak and soaked the brakes. I remember taking to a dealer to get fixed and I think the bill was a shocking $90. That was it, except for warranty stuff, I've fixed everything ever since. My 2 younger brothers are not into cars at all. I have 2 boys, one is into cars (Mopars) and the other motorcycles. When my older son was young, my wife said the only way I could go to car events was if I took him along. So from about the age of 2 (now 30), he's been going to Mopar shows so don't blame me if he's a gear head. Mom made me do it.
Then at about 13-14, my 2 buddies and I built a go cart one summer using an old Briggs lawn mower engine and frame made out of 2x4's. For some reason I was the test driver once we got it going. The steering was a 2x4 across the front with a center pivot and the wheels were then attached to round steel bar attached to the "axle". There was room between the frame and wheels for my feet to fit and it steeed by pushing on either side of the "axle". First trip down the street I made a u-turn and promptly crashed into the back of a Cadillac parked on the street. The wooden seat back broke and I woke up looking at the bottom of the tire that was visible from the bottom of the Continental kit. (I think I was knocked out for a couple seconds)
We rebuilt the cart using pipe and fittings that were screwed together. For no good reason at all, we took the Briggs apart and put it back together. There was a wooden box of 1/2" pipe fittings in my garage that we used to build a crazy exhaust system that zigged and zagged then pointed out the back w/o a muffler. We rode our bikes to the hardware store and used paper route money to buy hard rubber wheels, round bar, pillow blocks, etc. We had a chain drive off the engine to a bicycle front sprocket bolted with spacers to one of the rear wheels. The sprocket on the engine was too wide for the bicycle chain so I turned it down one morning by holding a file against the sprocket with the engine running to narrow it down. My dad just had to wonder why that file was completely smooth with no teeth left on it. No clutch or brakes, strictly push start with a string attached to that kill lever to short out the spark plug. That cart was a lot better than the first. We bent up steering knuckles out of bar stock and actually put a cut-down bike handlebar on top of the steering column, the real deal. No kid on a bike could keep up with it. One summer night we taped a flash light to the front and of course when someone called the cops, I was the one who got pulled over by a cop car on the street. "Show me your license." "I don't have one" You know this is a motor vehicle and you can't operate it without a license" Blah, blah, blah. After that we pushed it up to the schoolyard and drove it there. Every year we would take our bicycles apart and completely clean and oil them.
My dad always had Mopars. mostly Plymouths. His favorite car of all time was a 40 Plymouth, like Mickey Rooney's he would say. I came home from the hospital in a Mopar. My dad would tune his cars, but not do any heavier mechanical work. I just did everything as soon as I had my first. Over the years I occasionally worked on other people's cars on the side and came to appreciate the Chrysler way of doing things. They never seemed to take the cheap way out, better parts, better geometry, better engineering. I've also bought and read a bunch of historical books on Chrysler and learned that's the way it's been since way back when. The 3 Musketeers, W.P. Chrysler, Ramchargers, etc. Always doing more with less resources.
My first car was a used 67 FB cuda, red outside, white bucket interior with maroon trim, 273 Commando, 4 speed, 3.23 SG 8-3/4, NOT a Formula S. I found out later, my cuda had been in an accident with damage to the left quarter. It developed an axle leak and soaked the brakes. I remember taking to a dealer to get fixed and I think the bill was a shocking $90. That was it, except for warranty stuff, I've fixed everything ever since. My 2 younger brothers are not into cars at all. I have 2 boys, one is into cars (Mopars) and the other motorcycles. When my older son was young, my wife said the only way I could go to car events was if I took him along. So from about the age of 2 (now 30), he's been going to Mopar shows so don't blame me if he's a gear head. Mom made me do it.
mopar jimmie
Mopar Jimmie
I dont even know what I dont know , all I know is I dont know it
I feel the same way as the OP. I didn't start working on cars till I was about 20 or so even though I really wanted to. I bought a couple 68 Darts in HS, but had no tools or storage so I had to resell them. Then I joined a club in college where we design and race a small off-roading vehicle and once I felt comfortable with that club I bought another '68 Dart (the one I have now). Just like the OP, I do get very overwhelmed at times and even though people on the forums say it's easy, it just doesn't register that way for me. I've been getting better, however.
Princess Valiant
A.K.A. Rainy Day Auto
more than books ....older mopar muscle magazines were a great source of learning for me .... years ago I bought a bunch of older issues off ebay, the older issues were the best (pre- 2005) they used to have useful tech articles and other articles relevant to our cars and lots of pics. Now the new issues are garbage because all they do now is work on new pimp cars and plastic junk.
but the older issues were gold and I have used those tech articles in my projects countless times.
dodge71demon
Well-Known Member
1967 -had to figure things out do to lack of $$$$$$$$$$
69B-Cuda
Well-Known Member
My dad has been into cars forever.. I was born into it. He owned a gas station the first 18 months of my life. Mom would go see him for lunch and put me on the bottom shelf for a nap. My earliest memory is helping him change tires when I was 2 or 3. He built me an electric tractor to drive around the yard when I was 3 and I had go-karts ever since. Always car stuff going on at home... his friends would come over with some pretty cool stuff as well.
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